Going Sane In The Ukraine

Things are getting rather interesting in Russia's neighbor to the west, as tens of thousands of Ukrainians took to the streets of Kiev to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich over his too close relationship with Vladimir Putin's Russia.  The result?  A massive, bloody crackdown.

Eleven days of intensifying protests over Mr. Yanukovich’s refusal to sign political and free trade accords with the European Union have now directly shaken the president’s prospects of remaining in power. Cracks have begun to emerge in his political base: His chief of administration was reported to have resigned, and a few members of Parliament quit his party and decried the police violence.

Many Ukrainians see the agreements with Europe as crucial steps toward a brighter economic and political future, and as a way to break free from the grip of Russia and from Ukraine’s Soviet past. Now, the outcry over Mr. Yanukovich’s abandonment of the accords is pushing Russia into a corner.

The Kremlin, which has supported Mr. Yanukovich as a geopolitical ally for years despite its frequent annoyance with him, used aggressive pressure to persuade him not to sign the accords. Now the anger over Russia’s role has made it all but impossible for Mr. Yanukovich to take the alternative offered by the Kremlin — joining a customs union with Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan. Any compromise with the protesters would have to revive the accords with Europe, and reduce Russia’s sway.

Even as Mr. Yanukovich was said to be considering declaring a state of emergency, parliamentary leaders began contemplating various ways to curtail his powers, rather than remove him from office entirely. Volodymy Rybak, the speaker of the Parliament, which is controlled by Mr. Yanukovich’s Party of Regions, on Sunday called for “round-table talks” to help resolve the crisis. Similar talks were conducted in 2004 to resolve the disputes that set off the Orange Revolution.

The steady escalation of the protests — and the threat of further violent crackdowns — has created a volatile situation that showed no sign of abating.

Yanukovich reneging on his trade deals with the EU was the bridge too far here, in what was already seen as a puppet regime for Putin.  The Ukrainian military brought in all kinds of hardware to clear the streets of Kiev over the weekend.  If all this seems familiar, you're recalling Ukraine's Orange Revolution nine years ago.  Then, Yanukovich was the man who stole the election.  Now, he is the man stealing Ukraine's future.

As of now, protesters are blockading Kiev's main government building, supposedly meaning Yanukovich is somewhere inside.  We'll see what happens, but it's going to get a lot worse on the streets of Kiev before they get better.